New Hide Idea.

[Gruni]

Hey guys just looking for some advice for prepping a new hide I found. I found an old turtle shell that has lost all of its enamel and looks like bleached bone. It has some dark patches on the top and I want to clean the dirt and stuff out of the inside of the shell but I don't want to use bleach in case I lose the markings.

I'm thinking of a soak in a bucket of disinfectant and a bit of dishdrops, a light brush out inside and then when it dries painting it with some Cabots Gelcoat to seal it and finish it off.

I'll try to get a pic of the shell up tomorrow.

 

[DarwinBrianT]

I'd soak it in f10 for an hour, let dry and then put it in.

 

[arevenant]

or sugar soap to get any remnants off it...

 

[izzys1]

Bi carb soda is good for scrubbing without being dangerous if you add some vinegar it foams and remove tough grime and scents

 

[CrazyNut]

You could just leave it over night is a diluted bleach solution. Just mix in some water to weaken and dilute the bleach, that should work well. If you can be bothered to go to the effort, try ordering a bunch of hide beetles from Minibeast wildlife or similar company. They are used by museums to pick clean bones. Place the shell in with the beetles, should take a few hours to a few days. You can than just degrease it (simple process many how to's on the web), than finally disinfect it you could also leave to soak in water for a week or so than just degrease and disinfect it.

 

[GBWhite]

Sounds like a good idea Joerg but I think you might find that even though it's an empty carapace it's still illegal to possess it in NSW.

Cheers mate.

 

[Gruni]

Thanks for the replies guys. It has no meaty bits to worry about so beetles are not an issue it is just dirty on the inside and I want to keep the grimy exterior look to it.

Thanks also for the heads up George, in this case I think I would have to be very unlucky and the officer would be having a really bad day if they were going to get prissy about an old carapace that was drifting around the shore of Pindari Dam.